1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for image printing, and more particularly to a method and system for image printing that is capable of properly performing a form overlay.
2. Discussion of the Background
In general, a printing system including a host apparatus and a print station has been capable of performing a form overlay with which a document is overlaid on a format or vise versa. For example, this function is used when a logo mark is separately prepared and is needed to be combined with a document. Then, the logo mark is handled as a fixed format to be printed every page. In this case, the positions of the logo mark and the document in the page are different with each other and do not affect each other.
A so-called stamp print and a water marking, both for printing a fixed mark on a document, have also been developed as convenient form overlay functions. These functions can be implemented in a printer driver. The PCL driver manufactured by Hewlett-Packard Co. is one example of such a printer driver.
In using the form overlay function, it is needed to determine whether a document is to be a background or a format is to be a background. Generally, this determination is performed by an application program (hereinafter referred to as an application) or a printer driver. Some printer drivers can use formats created with any application but others cannot.
Some applications, such as Microsoft PowerPoint sold by Microsoft Corporation, are capable of generating a page document and, when these applications perform a form overlay, they paint with a white color a region where the document is expanded before the document is placed on the region. Thus, in a combination use of an application with other applications so as to mix a document and background formats, it is possible that the background format is not shown on the page because the page having the background format is painted with a white color before an image of the document is overlaid on the background format.
The present invention provides a novel printing method for a print system operating with an operating system. In one embodiment, a novel printing system includes the steps of providing, storing, selecting, and executing. The providing steps provide an application for generating print data and a print station. The storing step stored form data. The selecting step selects at least one of a first form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a background image and the form data as a foreground and a second form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a foreground image and the form data as a background. The executing executes a first form overlay operation, and includes the steps of adding and transmitting. The adding step adds the form data immediately after each page of the print data when the selecting step selects the first form overlay instruction and the form data in front of each page of the print data when the selecting step selects the second form overlay instruction. The transmitting step transmits the print data added with the form data to the print station.
The above-mentioned method may further include a step of executing a second form overlay operation which includes the steps of sending, storing, generating, adding, and transferring. The sending step sends a form registration instruction and the form data to the print station. The storing step stores the form data in the print station. The generating step generates a form overlay execution command. The adding step adds the form overlay execution command immediately after each page of the print data when the selecting step selects the first form overlay instruction and the form overlay execution command in front of each page of the print data when the selecting step selects the second form overlay instruction. The transferring step transfers the print data added with the form overlay execution command to the print station. In this case, the method further includes a step of choosing at least one of the first and second executing steps.
The storing step may store the print data generated by the application as form data. In this case, the method further includes a step of neglecting a white painting instruction generated by the application. The white painting instruction instructs to paint a background page with a white color before print data is expanded over the background page.
Further, the present invention provides a novel print system which operates with an operating system and an application, compatible with the operating system, for generating print data. In one embodiment, a novel print system includes a print station, a memory for storing form data, and a printer driver which is configured to control a storage of the form data to the memory and to control data transmission of the print data and the form data to the print station. The printer driver includes a first selector and a first form-overlay manager. The first selector selects at least one of a first form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a background image and the form data as a foreground and a second form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a foreground image and the form data as a background. The first form-overlay manager executes a first form-overlay operation for adding the form data immediately after each page of the print data when the first selector selects the first form overlay instruction and the form data in front of each page of the print data when the first selector selects the second form overlay instruction, and transmitting the print data added with the form data to the print station.
Further, the present invention provides a novel printer driver of a print system which operates with an operating system and with an application, compatible with the operating system, for generating print data, and which includes a memory for storing form data and a print station for printing the print data. In this case, the printer driver controls a storage of the form data to the memory and data transmission of the print data and the form data to the print station. The printer driver includes a first selector and a first form-overlay manager. The first selector selects at least one of a first form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a background image and the form data as a foreground and a second form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a foreground image and the form data as a background. The first form-overlay manager executes a first form-overlay operation for adding the form data immediately after each page of the print data when the first selector selects the first form overlay instruction and the form data in front of each page of the print data when the first selector selects the second form overlay instruction, and transmitting the print data added with the form data to the print station.
Further, the present invention provides a novel method for printer driving in a print system which operates with an operating system and with an application, compatible with the operating system, for generating print data, and which includes a memory for storing form data and a print station for printing the print data. The method include a first selecting step, a first form-overlay executing step, and a transmitting step. The first selecting step selects at least one of a first form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a background image and the form data as a foreground and a second form overlay instruction for assigning the print data as a foreground image and the form data as a background. The first form-overlay executing step executes a first form-overlay operation for adding the form data immediately after each page of the print data when the first selecting step selects the first form overlay instruction and the form data in front of each page of the print data when the first selecting step selects the second form overlay instruction. The transmitting step transmits the print data added with the form data to the print station.
The present invention further provides a novel computer readable medium which stores computer instructions for performing the steps mentioned above.
This document claims priority rights of and is based on the subject matter described in Japanese Patent Application No. JPAP11-063376 filed on Mar. 10, 1999, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.